Elevator gate



T R A G O B G. w

ELEVATOR GATE Filed Maron 3, 1934 l, A INVENToR ATTORNEY-5 Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED' STATES PATENTv OFFICE Application March 3, 1934, Serial No. 713,899

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sliding gates of bar or lattice type, preferably constituting a plurality of rigid bars arranged perpendicular to the direction line of sliding travel connected in a non-articulated manner to avoid any buckling or side bulging when the gate travels in a straight course, yet sufficiently flexible for rounding or traversing a sharp curve in the course.

An object of the invention is to provide a gate of bars or strips arranged in lattice design in which the laterals constitute flexible metal strips.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lattice type sliding gate of yielding structure i5 to traverse sharp curves.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved lattice type sliding gate shown as a closure for an elevator cab.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 3 3, Figure l, detailing the hanger and guide devices.

Figure 4 is a plan view, inner side, of a section of the gate, showing an operating handle applied thereon and a flexible cross strip for connecting the spaced vertical bars.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section through a section of the gate rounding a curve or corner.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section through section of gate illustrating a. modied form of bar.

The gate is primarily contemplated as a sliding closure for elevator cabs requiring a full cab width door opening, and is particularly adaptable for private residence elevator lcabs having a very limited floor area. These types of elevators are designed for installation in already built residences, generally for a one floor rise service, wherein only a small space for an elevator is available. For such use it isdesirable to have a very secure gate, of reduced weight, freely and easily operated and of lattice type, with no binding of the parts one against the other interfering to the opening or closing movements.

Referring to the drawing, I indicates a plurality of vertical bars, preferably of uniform length, which may be either of solid, tubular or sectional structure, several different constructions of bars being herewith illustrated. One form, as illustrated in Figures 3 to 5 inclusive, the bars each are composed of sheet metal appropriately fabricated for lightness and stability and of hollow or tubular cross section. Each bar consists of a sheet metal base strip 2 longitudinally corrugated providing a central recess or channel and opposingly inclined longitudinal edge anges 3, 3, and a face strip 4 of sheet metal, longitudinally corrugated or of V-iorm in cross 5 section, with its opposite longitudinal edges crimped over the edge flanges 3 of the base strip unitarily connecting said strips. This structure provides a very rigid and extremely light weight bar as well as ornate. The bars, of a given num- 10 ber for making a denite width of gate, are arranged in spaced parallelism and secured together by a plurality of flexible metal cross strips 5, preferably of uniform spacing apart and riveted or permanently attached to each vertical bar. As shown in Figure 5 for the bar of sheet 'metal hollow construction the cross strips 5 are riveted to the base strip 2 of the bar, thereby concealing the heads of the fasteners from the outer or face side of the gate.

Each vertical bar l of the series is independently suspended from a roller hanger 6 engaged upon a track or rail l. The hanger provides a downwardly extended shank engaged into the upper open end of the hollow bar and riveted or fixed to the inner side of the base strip thereof.

The rail or track as shown in the present instance, is mounted to the top of the cab 8 and extends from across the full width of the door opening or front of the cab around at right angles along one side of the cab. The two relatively right angular sections of the continuous rail or track join in a rounded or curved juncture of comparatively short radius which will track the hanger rollers without binding or jumping the rail for any speed at which the gate may be traversed.

The gate is also guided or tracked at its lower end, as is customary in sliding gates, and for this purpose a grooved or channeled track or guide way 9 is provided, having a course corresponding to that of the top rail or track 1. Each vertical gate bar I of the series preferably is individually guided at its lower end to secure the same against lateral displacement, having a sliding connection with the base rail 9. Therefore, the lower end of each vertical bar l has a rigid metal shank eX- tension l secured to the bar in substantially the same manner as the shank of the hanger at the top end of the bar, and engaged into the channel of the base guide way 9.

The exible metal straps 5 yieldingly connect the vertical bars and readily bend to anyradius of a track curve, thereby enabling the production of a resilient lattice type of gate with the bars in spaced connection under sufficient stability to allow a considerable Width of gate to be conveyed by imparting a traversing pressure to an end or leading bar of the series Without causing any buckling or interference to the free travel of the gate or any of its individual bars.

As shown in Figure 4, a handle Il, extending from a base plate I2 xed to two leading bars of the gate is provided on the inner side of the gate.

In the modied form shown in Fig. 6, the vertical bars I are either solid and slotted to engage a cross strap 5 therethrough and xed by a screw or rivet I3, or the bars, each may constitute a pair of solid strips of duplicate cross sectional contour, one or both notched in the inner side or joining faces to receive the iiexible cross straps, and the parts suitably secured together.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A sliding gate of the character disclosed, comprising a plurality of rigid bars arranged in spaced parallelism perpendicular to the line of gate travel and a plurality of flexible strip metal cross straps fixed to each of said rigid bars holding the bars in their spaced parallelism and providing a flexible coupling therefor to accommodate for gate travel in a curved path of the rail on which the gate rides.

2. A sliding gate of the character disclosed,

comprising a plurality of rigid bars arranged-in spaced parallelism and one or more iiexible strip metal straps xed to each of said rigid bars holding the bars in their spaced parallelism and providing a flexible coupling therefor to accommodate. for gate travel in a curved path of the rail on Which the gate rides.

3. A sliding gate of the character disclosed, comprising a plurality of rigid bars arranged in spaced parallelism and a plurality of flexible strip metal straps xed to each -of said rigid bars holding the bars in their spaced parallelism and providing a ilexible coupling therefor to accommodate for gate travel in a curved path of the rail cn which the gate rides, said rigid bars formed of longitudinally corrugated sheet metal strips crimped together at longitudinally meeting edges.

4. A sliding closure for a door opening, comprising a plurality of rigid bars joined together in parallelism by exible strip metal cross straps, each bar rigidly attached to the cross straps holding the bars in their spaced parallelism and providing a flexible coupling therefor to accommodate for gate travel in a curved path of the rail on which the gate rides, and a hanger respectively xed to the upper end of each rigid bar for riding a stationary guide rail and suspendingly supporting the bars individually.

WILLIAM G. BOGART. 

